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People group profile · PG041676

The Gadaba of India

The Gadaba of India, numbering about 179,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh whose name derives from the Godavari river or the Oriya word for brook, traditionally practicing shifting cultivation and collecting forest produce for sale.

They are an indigenous people in the Munda-Santal people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Hinduism, and they primarily speak Bondo.

Pray for the GadabaPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Gadaba people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite: Gadaba

Fast facts

Country
India
Population
179,000
Affinity group
South Asian Peoples
People cluster
Munda-Santal
Primary language
Bondo (bfw)
Primary religion
Folk Hinduism
Strategic Progress Index ?
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC ?
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority ?
Expanding Unreached People Group
Region
Southern Asia, Asia
Location
Odisha: Koraput, Ganjam, Kalahandi, and Sundargarh districts; also Andhra Pradesh: Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam districts; Chhattisgarh: Bastar district

Where they live

Gospel status

The Gadaba are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Gadaba

  • Continue prayer and fasting for this group
  • Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
  • Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Primary religion

Folk Hinduism · Hinduism

100% adherents

Primary language

Bondo · Austroasiatic family

100% speak Bondo

Gospel resources in Bondo

  • Bible available, published 2010
  • JESUS Film not available
  • Radio programs available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Gadaba

  1. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
  2. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
  3. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
  4. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.

Download a prayer guide

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